Alastair Campbell has told Tánaiste Micheál Martin that many people are “fed up” with “ridiculous interviews” with politicians who “don’t say anything,” and that this is why “people look to” figures like himself and Martin.
The remarks were made during the fifth and most recent instalment of the Tánaiste’s podcast, In Conversation With, which was released on Tuesday this week.
Campbell – a British political strategist and writer – is best known for his role as Director of Communications and Strategy under then-British Prime Minister Tony Blair. He played a significant role in popularising the idea that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) to the British public – a claim which was used to help justify the 2003 invasion of Iraq. These claims were later proven to be false.
“I barely watch the news anymore, because I know what the stories are going to be,” said Campbell.
“I know what they’re going to say. I’m fed up with the lying, and the gaslighting, and fed up of these ridiculous interviews that they do where they don’t say anything.
“And if that’s me who’s kind of fascinated with politics and always has been, what’s it like for somebody that isn’t that interested? They’re not even watching or listening to this nonsense a lot of the time.”
Campbell went on to say this highlighted the need to engage with the public using newer, more modern forms of media.
“You have to go out to them,” he said.
“You can’t blame them. You’ve got to go out to them in a different way. And I keep saying [it] to our politicians.
“It’s amazing; these politicians say ‘Oh, I’m really enjoying your podcast. We really listen to everything, and any chance I could come on? And blah, blah, blah.’ And I say, ‘Look…ask yourself the question, why are people wanting to listen to us in a way that they’re not wanting to listen to you?”
Campbell said that politicians should realise that the public are “sick” of the way modern politics is conducted.
“There ought to be a few pennies dropping that people are sick of the way politics is presented to them,” he said.
However, he added that Ireland had “the remnants of a proper, serious media” and “some proper newspapers.”
Speaking of the way himself and Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin are perceived, Campbell said: “I think people are looking to us.”
He continued: “They sort of the don’t see us as politicians, even though we’ve both been in politics. They don’t see us as media, even though we’ve both been in media in different ways.
“But I think they’re coming to us, in a way, because they don’t like what politics and the media…is doing.
“So my message on that is try and adapt a bit, which is clearly what you’re doing.”
“Exactly,” replied Martin, who added: “I think the popularity of the podcast reflects…a yearning for a lot of people out there for the centre ground.”